Wish Upon A Falling Star
by Battle Ferrets
Summary: [[JouKai]] Kaiba takes his last defeat by Yuugi hard, one thought in his mind as he stands at the top of his Duel Tower: it's a long way down. R&R ---Jasper Sable
1. Chapter 1

This fic has wanted to be written for the better of five months... sweatdrop Well, at least it's here.

Don't own anything.

Dedicated to my hikari, and Brianne Kennedy who committed suicide on the morning of the first day of school. May your soul forever rest in peace.

Bit of Jou/Kaiba, though angsty. Might turn this into something more if I get some inspiration.

Read and review!

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**Wish Upon A Falling Star**

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Kaiba glared. Not at anything in particular, but at anything that caught his chilling eyes. Everything seemed to be laughing at him, rubbing his loss in his face, making sure he knew that he was the underdog.

The wind even took the time to stir from slumber to gently tease his chestnut tresses and snatch at his Battle City trenchcoat. He raised his idle hand and smoothed back his unruly hair that was only all to eager to play with the breeze that swept across the arena.

His piercing blue eyes took in everything around him, nothing exempt from his intent study. Even the whitecaps riding the roaring waves were taken note of. Yet his eyes continued to return to the moon's pale face reflected on the countless shards of steel surrounding his duel tower.

The CEO had again been defeated by Yuugi. This time the loss had been almost unbearable and had he not crushed his biggest adversary's loyal mongrel he might very well have done something. What 'something' was he had not yet quite figured out, but with the distant ground below winking coyly at him, using the mirror metal to send its message, he was starting to get an idea.

Kaiba closed his eyes, forcing himself to take deep breaths of the nights ebony air and stop the train of thought that was resolutely making its regular stops in his battered mind. It seemed like another life when it had happily been him and Mokuba, before he had met Yuugi and the rivalry between them began.

"How the mighty have fallen," a familiar voice said from behind him.

Kaiba's hand clenched the railing, his knuckles turning white as he struggled not to grind his teeth together in frustration. He waited for the oncoming insulting remark with his metaphorical hackles up, his teeth and claws all too willing to be used as a means to release his stress, which was vibrating erratically along his tightly strung nerves.

The insults never came. The familiar taunts were never spoken. The only sound in the illuminated darkness was the waves continuing their struggle for dominance against the shoreline and his own ragged breathing.

Slowly opening his eyes, he glanced to his left. Silhouetted against the bloated moon was Katsuya Jounouchi, his features shadowed by his mop of blond hair in such a way that Kaiba couldn't tell what was on the mutt's mind. The blonds posture was relaxed; his arms crossed loosely in front of him, his elbows resting on the silver railing and one hip carelessly propped to the side.

If Kaiba didn't know better, he would have thought that the other duelist hadn't noticed him at all.

The two stood side by side in silence for an increasingly extended period of time, the blond keeping his usually loud mouth to himself and the CEO unsure of what to do. He was confused as to why the other teen had arrived if not to take jabs at Kaiba's already bruised ego.

The peace between them lasted a rather long time, considering who they were, before either one spoke. "I'm going to beat you in our next duel."

Kaiba snorted, but said nothing else. The wind trotted up then, its touches tantalizing yet cautious, as if unsure why the two boys didn't want to romp on what was such a beautiful night. A stray star streaked across the sky, gone before either teen had really registered its existence.

Jounouchi glanced at the brunet. "We're going to duel again."

Kaiba closed his eyes. He wasn't so sure that they would. No matter, the outcome would be the same as always; he would win.

"Kaiba."

Opening his eyes at the tone in the others voice, he was unprepared for the scrutinizing amber orbs watching him from behind thick blond tresses. Finally aware of the needles prickling in his hand, he released the metal bar and let his hand drop uselessly by his side.

Once Jounouchi was sure that the other teen's attention was on him, he stood up and looked straight at him. "We _are_ going to duel again, Kaiba." he stated firmly, his arms crossed and his head tilted challengingly, daring Kaiba to say otherwise.

The CEO made a noncommittal noise and leaned against the railing with both arms supporting his weight, head lolling backwards and eyes drifting shut. The wind made another attempt to get him to play; his hair tickling his face as it tried to succumb to the invitation.

He heard Jounouchi sigh heavily, another noise catching his attention shortly afterwards. Cracking one eye open, he looked at the blond, his other eye springing open at the sight before him. Jounouchi had a lit cigarette between two fingers, his other hand returning the lighter Kaiba had heard to his school jacket.

Perhaps sensing the brunet's gaze upon him, Jounouchi lifted the cigarette. "You don't mind?"

Surprised that the mutt had even considered whether he minded or not, he merely allowed his eyes to close again, settling himself against the sturdy bar at his back. A few moments passed where neither one said anything, until Kaiba caught the scent of Jounouchi's cigarette. He allowed his eyes to reveal themselves up until half-mast, their blue depths examining the living contradiction that was standing beside him.

The teen was again leaning against the railing, posture once more loose and relaxed, the brunet by his side forgotten to his own inner musings. Jounouchi took a long drag, lifting his head marginally to blow the smoke out over the ledge of the platform.

It was then, as the moon hit the blond's face, that Kaiba saw Jounouchi with all his masks off, the ones that he wore around his friends to keep them happy. He was struck by how old the other teen looked, from the lines of worry around his eyes to the lack of spark in his eyes that took only a single taunt to ignite into a blazing wildfire.

Kaiba found that he wanted that spark to be there, he wanted to see the living fire within the other teen. The absence of that light, that inner flame, was almost enough to drive him to shake the blond to his senses.

Almost. He was much subtler than that.

"You'll never defeat me in a duel, mutt." he sneered.

It may have been a trick of cigarette when it flared as Jounouchi took another drag, but Kaiba could have sworn he saw that spark flicker to life in the duelists honey brown eyes, and the ghost of a smile tug at the corners of his lips.

Jounouchi shifted his weight to his other leg, sparing himself another drag before he replied. "We'll see." He glanced at Kaiba, exhaling smoke into the crisp night air. "And I'm not a dog."

Kaiba smirked.

Minutes passed and neither breathed a word. Jounouchi had finished his cigarette and flicked it over the edge, only to take out another and light it. At Kaiba's sidelong glance he smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "It's a habit."

"One that's going to kill you someday." Kaiba lectured, pushing away from the railing and crossing his arms. He wasn't deterred by the defensive glare the blond shot up at him.

Jounouchi was first to break away from their silent argument, turning his eyes instead towards the ground. "Long way down."

Kaiba caught the attempt to change topics but let it slide, instead inwardly twitching at the thought of just how long of a ways it was. He couldn't help but wonder what the corpse of a person who had fallen off of the top would look like. After three seconds of pursuing that image he forced himself to stop, busying himself with staring into the moons grinning face instead.

"Kaiba?" Jounouchi paused, then continued. "You okay?"

The hesitance in those words made Kaiba look at the blond, the concern in Jounouchi's eyes making the unbidden image of Mokuba's worried face and anxious tone spring into his mind.

Big brother? Are you okay?

The waves crashed into the rocks, a sharp crack and a loud splash indicating that the sea had one small victory. Kaiba glanced towards the source of the sound, delaying his answer as he pondered it over.

A comforting weight rested on his shoulder, asking for Kaiba's attention. Slowly he turned, greeted by Jounouchi's troubled face, the hand not holding the cigarette placed reassuringly on Kaiba's shoulder.

Kaiba gave a small smile, a slight alteration from the one he gave Mokuba in that no emotions were hidden. Around his brother he had to hide his weaknesses and be a positive example, but around Jounouchi he need not keep up such pretences.

"I think I'll manage," he said softly.

Jounouchi looked at Kaiba seriously, gazing into the brunet's eyes and seeing his true answer. Jounouchi seemed satisfied with his decision because he nodded, his hand tightening on the taller teen's shoulder for a moment before sliding off.

"Good to hear." He glanced at his watch. "Yuugi's going to start wondering where I went. Told him I was going to get some fresh air."

Kaiba looked pointedly at the cigarette in Jounouchi's hands and then back to the blond's mirthful eyes. "You're a lot stupider then I thought. Filling your lungs with that crap is a far fetch from getting fresh air."

Jounouchi shrugged with a small smile gracing his features. He glanced at his watch again and sighed. "I'm heading back in." He looked up at Kaiba. "You coming?"

"In a minute."

Jounouchi flicked the cigarette butt over the duel towers edge. "Later, rich boy." he said, turning away and disappearing through the doorway.

Kaiba gave one last glance at the ground before following Jounouchi.

---

I would like to continue this, as it is the first Jou/Kaiba that I've written that I've actually liked, and I already have an idea of a possible short ficlet, but I don't know if there's any point. What do you guys think?

And many thanks to **Ocean**, the amazing author who gave me the inspiration to try a new style of writing with what I think is a pretty damn good outcome. Her fics are amazing (_Jasmine's Scent_, _Fly Away Home_ and _Dusky Jacinth_ are just a few) and I suggest you go and check her out... think I have her in my favorites somewhere...

---Jasper Sable 


	2. Chapter 2

_Second installment. I own nothing you recognize. For Reana._

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"What do you mean we can't leave?" Honda yelled at Kaiba's representative, the man mopping at his forehead under the heat of the brunets temper.

"Mr. Kaiba has not boarded the aircraft yet. We can not leave until he is aboard this ship." the suit repeated, glaring at the disrespectful brat from behind his sunglasses.

The entire gang and crew were present and accounted for, minus a certain egomaniac that was probably off sulking somewhere. The room was full of murmurs and the buzz of whispers. So nearly everyone jumped when a loud voice reverberated amongst them.

"He did _what_?"

Heads turned to find Jounouchi holding up one of Kaiba's hired hands by the front of his suit, the man looking torn between being affronted at the behavior from the blond and wetting himself.

"Jounouchi," Anzu started, before getting cut off by the musical sing song voice of Kaiba's main computer system.

"_Self destruction in ten minutes_."

Jounouchi cursed and dropped the suit, turning on Mokuba. The raven-haired preteen looked less than intimidated in the shadow of the looming teenager.

"Where do you initiate the self-destruction process in the tower?" he asked the younger Kaiba.

Whether Mokuba was surprised that Jounouchi seemed to give a damn or for some other reason, he answered, "Bottom floor, that's where the main operating system is, but-"

Jounouchi was no longer in front of him for Mokuba to continue talking too.

"He's going after him!" Anzu called out from her position closest to the large cockpit windows, her trembling finger pointing outside to the shape running towards the tower like a charging bull, the years of being in track making the distance between the airship and the building minute to the blond. He paused long enough to grab a thick two foot long piece of metal before disappearing inside the tower, and from his friend's viewpoint.

Inside, Jounouchi ran through the corridors until he came to the elevator. Without breaking pace he swept past the elevator and threw open the door at the other end of the corridor, pounding down the steel stairs in a clatter of noise.

At the bottom, the buzzing and hum of machinery greeted him, along with the mechanical voice once again.

"_Eight minutes remaining_."

In front of him was a steel door, the only entrance seeming to be the password protected keypad next to where the handle should have been. Rather than wasting precious minutes, Jounouchi held the metal rod at ready, beating on the console until the light in the corner altered from red to a bright green.

Tossing the scrap metal Jounouchi ran into the room that the opened door presented, nearly colliding with Kaiba as he did so. Rather than try and stop, the blond used his momentum to push the brunet against the wall, Kaiba's neck pinned by the blond's elbow, his arms held back by Jounouchi's free arm and the mongrel's body pressed flush against Kaiba's so that the taller teen's legs were pinned as well.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Jounouchi snarled, his nose almost touching the brunets. Kaiba snorted and attempted to push Jounouchi off him, eyes widening in surprise when the blond not only resisted him but blocked off his airway. "Bad idea. It's really hard for you to listen to me when you're unconscious."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes and stopped struggling. A moment later he was able to breathe again and the oxygen that rushed into his lungs burned like sweet fire. He was also free from Jounouchi's body bind.

"Go back to your friends Jounouchi, there's nothing for you here." Kaiba rasped, his voice protesting the abuse it just received.

Jounouchi looked outraged. "What are you playing at Kaiba? You have a little brother to look after!"

"_Seven minutes remaining_."

Seemingly ignoring the blonds comment and the mechanical voice, Kaiba glanced past Jounouchi and sneered. "You have a lot of nerve destroying Kaiba Corp property. I could sue you for every yen you own; but, then again, that wouldn't be enough to bribe a kid to shine my shoes."

The blond smirked. "Won't deny it rich-boy. I have no money." he admitted, taking on a sudden thoughtful poise and glancing at the brunet from the corner of his eyes. "You'd think I'd be able to afford something with the prize money I received from Pegasus' tournament, ne?"

Kaiba looked a bit shaken by this show of nonaggression from Jounouchi, yet seemed to be actually pondering the truth in what Jounouchi said. The puzzlement that flickered in his eyes made Jounouchi feel a sense of accomplishment. He casually leaned against the cold metal wall, arms crossed over his chest against the chill the blue eyed teen sent his way. "Well what do you know? The great Kaiba doesn't know everything."

Kaiba glared at him but didn't respond.

"Holding your tongue? Don't be shy; after all, this is the last conversation we're going to have."

"_Six minutes remaining_." the computer droned, as if on cue.

"I was rather enjoying the peace, actually."

Jounouchi pushed himself off of the wall, glaring up at the immobile brunet. "Yeah? Well, let me tell you something. I used that money to pay for my little sister's eye operation so she could see the world again. I didn't join that tournament for the fame, or to prove that I wasn't just another second-rate duelist."

"Then why?" The question slipped out with uncanny ease, though it was obvious that the brunet had wanted to stop himself from asking it.

"Why?" Jounouchi parroted back, mocking. "Why? Because I'm the only family she has left Kaiba, and I love her. Now if you are even half the big brother that Mokuba thinks you are you will get your ass out of this building and on board that ship before we all get blown to America!"

Silence followed this outburst, interrupted only by the mechanized recording.

"_Self destruction in five minutes_."

Jounouchi growled in frustration. "Will you just get moving so I can bash your idiotic head in once you're safely on board?"

Kaiba arched an eyebrow. "The ship is gone. I programmed the hatches to lock at nine and a half minutes and the engines to auto start at five minutes remaining. Autopilot will take them home." He paused briefly. "You must have run out of that ship like a fox being chased by a hound."

"Well, nothing to do about it now." Jounouchi said, shrugging. He grabbed a nearby chair and sat down on it, hand reaching into his pocket and pulling out his pack of cigarettes. Lighting one, he took a long drag and held it in, calming his nerves down a bit.

"That's it?"

Jounouchi snorted, causing smoke to spout from his nose like a bull. "What did you want; me to freak out on you and beat you over the head with your briefcase? Tempting," He paused to take a drag. "But I'd rather die with a clean conscience." He withdrew his gaze from Kaiba and gave his attention instead to the cigarette in his hand, exhaling slowly. "Guess I'm not going to die of this shit after all."

"_Four minutes remaining_."

"You are so pitiful." Kaiba growled, but to Jounouchi swore it almost sounded like a sigh. Before the blond could retort, the brunet turned and walked away. Jounouchi swore and jumped up out of his chair, extinguishing his cigarette on the wall as he ran to catch up to the tall teen.

He followed Kaiba through a door on the opposite end of the room that led to a small hallway with a lone door at the end. It was at this door that Jounouchi caught up with the longer legged boy. "Listen, Kaiba, I just wanted to say-"

What he had wanted to say evaporated off the end of his tongue, Kaiba having opened the door and revealed a hangar holding the large form of a Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Holy shit," Jounouchi breathed, trailing after Kaiba as he neared the life-like replica of the legendary dragon. The blond stopped by the dragons head and ran a hand along its chrome face. "_Damn_ you rich people."

Kaiba turned to look at Jounouchi, and the blond had the sudden feeling he was being evaluated.

"_Three minutes remaining_."

Jounouchi ran a hand through his hair, sighing irritably. "Listen, about last night - I don't know if you realized it, but we actually got along. I don't know about you, but it was a damned nice change."

Kaiba averted his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about." Jounouchi slammed him into the side of the Blue-Eyes' head, once more pinning the larger teen beneath him.

"Stop it Kaiba, this isn't a game! If I have to stay here to ensure that Mokuba has a big brother to keep him safe from the monsters of the real world for a few more years, I'll wave good-bye to the back end of your fancy lift here, but for Gods sake, stop toying around with me!" Jounouchi yelled, shaking the brunet. With one last shake he released Kaiba and sunk down to the ground, holding his head in his hands.

Sensing Kaiba's gaze on him, Jounouchi looked up, eyes locking onto the twin blue orbs staring down upon him. "I don't know what you want with me, but stop jerking my emotions around."

Kaiba stared at him thoughtfully, looking as though he was mulling things over in his mind. He seemed to come to a conclusion. Expecting another taunt, Jounouchi stared stupidly at the offered hand held in front of his face.

"Kaiba, wha-"

"I can't wait out the next two minutes listening to you bawl. Get in the jet, back seat and don't push any buttons or - On second thought, just don't touch anything." the brunet growled, grabbing the blond and hauling him to his feet.

Jounouchi gawked as the taller teen jumped into the first seat of the dragons head and proceeded to flick switches. Kaiba glanced down at him once. "You coming puppy?"

"_Two minutes remaining_."

Jounouchi punched the air and yelled triumphantly before clambering into the back seat. There he found it very hard not to push one of the many tempting buttons all around him. The sounds of the engine starting was the only warning the blond had before gravity punched him back into his seat as the jet blasted down the runway and exploded into the sunlight.

The ship turned in a wide arc in the sky, the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon flying the skies once again. Jounouchi watched the island become smaller as they flew further away, until it was just a pinpoint, and then gone altogether. A moment later a brilliant explosion filled the horizon.

Jounouchi turned his attention to Kaiba, who hadn't said a single word since they had left. "You did the right thing Kaiba."

"Are you so sure about that mutt?" Kaiba inquired. "I could still crash this jet, you know."

Jounouchi laughed, earning himself an arched eyebrow from the Kaiba on the monitor screen in front of him. "Stop the crock of bullshit, rich boy; you are stuck with me until we land. And for scaring the shit out of me so badly, I'm going to make the next five hours of your life a living hell."

"I'm going to regret not leaving you back there."

The blond grinned. "Not on your life Kaiba. And I'm not a dog."

Jounouchi could've sworn he saw the brunet smile.

---

_tbc?_


End file.
